Painful Blood
by silenced-and-blinded
Summary: **CHAPTER 6 UP** What happens when a SeeD's sister becomes a sorceress and attacks Garden? Can she go through with the assassination? Read and find out!!
1. Meet And Greet

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy 8, or anything or anyone in it.  All I own is Mariah Psystorm, and a few other people and places I made up.  I don't have any other reason to write this other than the fact that I love this game.

****

**_A/N: The song Mariah sings is "I Turn To You" by Christina Aguilera.  Ain't it purdy?_**

      It was a beautiful day in Balamb.  The sun was shimmering off the tops of the lakes and streams that flowed and wound around the city like a giant, glittering, blue ribbon.

     In Balamb Garden, a school that trained teenage mercenaries called SeeDs, everyone was happily doing their own thing that day, whether with others or by themselves.

     Rinoa Heartilly and Selphie Tilmitt were sitting by the water fountain in the middle of Garden talking.

     Irvine Kinneas, the sharpshooter _and_ ladies-man of Garden, was keeping himself busy with target practicing.

     Zell Dincht was busy perfecting his already perfect martial arts skills in the Training Center.

     Squall Leonhart, an official SeeD leader, was quietly practicing in the training field as his instructor, Quistis Trepe, looked on.  Quistis was a SeeD and instructor at the same time.  She trained her students when no missions were going on, and took place in them when there were.  She was the youngest instructor there, 18, only one year older than most of her students.

     "Quistis Trepe!  Please report to the main hall of Garden!" a woman named Xu announced on the PA system.

     "Looks like we'll have to cut this lesson short, Squall," she said.

     "Alright," came the reply.

     Squall was, simply put, a loner.  He wouldn't talk much to anyone and tried to stay away from social situations whenever he could.  No one really understood why, but then again, no one was ever able to talk to him on a personal level anyway.

     Quistis daintily turned and began to walk away.  All of a sudden, she turned back around to face Squall.  "If they're asking me to go to the main hall for the reason I think they are, I'd like you to come with me.  There's someone I want you to meet.  If you're not too busy, that is."

     "I guess so," Squall said shrugging.

     The two of them made their way to the main hall where Headmaster Cid and a girl Squall didn't recognize were standing.

     "Hello Headmaster Cid," Quistis said.  Then she pointed to the girl, "Is this...?"

     "Yes, this is Mariah Psystorm.  She's the young lady I was telling you about earlier.  Her skills were far too advanced for her to continue training at Silton, so the Headmaster sent her _here_," Cid said.

     Mariah smiled at the words.  Squall rolled his eyes.  This girl _did_ have one of the prettiest faces he'd seen in a long time, he admitted to himself, but she seemed to be one of those types that could easily get on his nerves.

     "Hi Mariah.  I'm Quistis Trepe, I'll be your instructor.  And this is Squall Leonhart, our SeeD leader," Quistis said.

     "Hey Squall," she said kindly smiling at him.  She extended her hand politely.

     For a few seconds, he just stood there, waiting for her to put her hand back down and give up.  That is, until Quistis cleared her throat and gave him a harsh glare.  He unwillingly shook her hand.

     "Squall, why don't you show Mariah to her dorm?  Room 4B."

     He started walking towards the hall that led to the Dormitory without even looking to make sure Mariah was following.

     Soon, she ran up to be neck in neck with him.  "So, you're the SeeD leader, huh?  How long've you been here?" Mariah asked.

     No answer.

     "_Hello_?  Is anybody home?"

     Squall didn't say anything and kept walking.

     She put a confused look on her face and said, "What did _I _do to _you_?"

     "What's with all the questions?" he barked sharply as he kept walking.

     "Well, I....."

     "Just _come on_!"

     She slowed down and walked far behind him.  As far as she possibly could.  She saw the Gunblade shining at his side and suddenly realized what he could do to her with it if he really wanted to.  She was a Gunblade specialist too, but still......  Just the thought make her hands clammy.

*     *     *

     When they came to her dorm, he left as quickly as they had gotten there.  

     After a little while, there was a knock on her door.

     "Come in," Mariah said.

     The door opened and Rinoa, smiling big, walked in.  "Hi!  My name's Rinoa Heartilly."

     "Hi.  Guess you know who _I_ am then, huh?"

     Rinoa nodded.  "Sure do.  You're Mariah Psystorm.  Quistis told us all about you."

     "Us?"

     "Yeah....Zell, Irvine, Selphie, and all us other SeeDs."

     "You're a SeeD?" Mariah asked, her blue eyes widening.

     "Yeah.  You'll meet everybody soon, I guess," Rinoa said, "I heard you're one of the best fighters from Silton, and that's why you're here."

     "News travels fast around here, doesn't it?" Mariah asked with a smile.

     "Most of the time," Rinoa said smiling, "Your weapon?"

     "Gunblade," Mariah replied nonchalantly, even though it took alot of skill to become a _Gunblade_ specialist, "Yours?"

     "Blaster Edge," Rinoa replied, "You're a Gunblade girl, huh?  That's really cool.  There aren't any other Gunblade users here except for Squall and Seifer, _or _girls who use them, for that matter."

     "Really?" Mariah asked.

     Rinoa nodded.  "Yeah.  Not to be smart, but I've actually _never _met a Gunblade user who was a girl."

     Mariah smiled.

     Rinoa did too.  "Guess I'll leave you alone now.  See ya!"

     "Bye!"

*     *     *

     A little while later, Quistis knocked on Squall's door.

     "Who is it?" he asked sounding quite disturbed.

     "Quistis."

     There was the faint sound of footsteps, and then the door opened slightly.

     "What do you want?" he asked not opening the door all the way.

     "I came to tell you that practice will resume in fifteen minutes."

     Squall hesitated before nodding, and then shut the door.

     "Mariah will be there too.  It'll be your chance to make a _better _impression than before," Quistis called.

     No answer.

     "That means being _nice _to her!" she shouted.

     There was still no reply, but she knew he heard.

*     *     *

     Fifteen minutes later, Mariah, Quistis, and Squall met out on the training field.

     "Before we begin, may I ask you, Mariah, how many GFs you have?" Quistis asked.

     "Sure.  I have six.  The Brothers, Doomtrain, Bahamut, Eden, Cactaur, and the Tonberry King," Mariah said.

     To Squall's surprise, Mariah sounded very serious when she told them the names of the GFs she had acquired.  He still didn't care for her much, though.  She was just a year younger than him, yet she seemed so inexperienced.

     "You've acquired many of the GFs that are hard to come by.  Excellent," Quistis said, "Now let's begin our session."

     Mariah began walking out onto the field, her Gunblade swung over her shoulder.

     Quistis looked over at Squall.  "You too, Squall," she said smiling.

     He picked up his Gunblade, which had been resting at his side, and spun it three times around his fingers like a baton as he made his way onto the field.

     "And be careful!  I heard from Headmaster Cid that she's really rough!" Quistis called as she smiled, even though she was being quite serious.  Then her voice became quieter so neither of them could hear her.  "It's not _her _I'm worried about," she said to herself, "It's _him_."

     Once they were in their proper positions on opposite ends of the field, Quistis yelled, "Begin!"

     To Mariah, any word that could be considered a battle-starting word was like a whip to a furied dog's back.  Even though she had no hate towards Squall, she would battle as though he were a sworn enemy.

     She raced towards him with her Gunblade high above her head.  Slamming it down onto _his_ Gunblade, which was blocking his face that already had a scar running along the bridge of his nose on a diagonal slant, she did one of her favorite attacks - Energy Expel.  That attack allowed her to turn her energy into electricity and send it coursing through her opponent's weapon, creating a painful and powerful electric shock.

     Squall, about two seconds after receiving the shock, dropped to his knees.

     Quistis was impressed of how powerful Mariah _really _was.

     Squall glared up at Mariah harshly.  "What did you do to me?!" he demanded.

     Mariah smiled down at him.  "Sorry about that, but if I wanna earn my rank of SeeD, I _have _to do stuff like that."  She held her hand out to help him up.

     He just glared at her as he stood on his own.  "You could've _killed _me you know!"

     She let out a small chuckle.  "Hardly.  If I had actually used up _all _my energy, then you would've had a problem, but what I just did was only a _fraction _of what I can do.  Consider yourself lucky," she said.

     By that time, Quistis had made her way over to them.  "That was excellent, Mariah.  I just hope you didn't _hurt _Squall," she turned to him, "You okay?"

     "Yes, I'm fine," he replied grimly.

     "Well Mariah, I believe you'll become a SeeD very quickly.  And Squall, maybe you can learn a thing or two from her, and vice versa."  Then she walked away.

     Mariah turned to Squall.  "I really _am_ sorry," she said.

     "Oh, just forget about it."  He started to walk away.

     She ran up and caught him arm.  "No really, lemme make it up to you.  I'll buy you lunch.  You can get whatever you want.  How 'bout it?"

     "I'm....I'm busy now so....."

     "Okay, fine.  Be a sore loser, then."  She smirked.

     "No, it's not that, it's just....."

     "Okay, okay, but before you go, do you know where I can find Selphie?"

     "Selphie?"

     "Yeah.  Do you know her?"

     "Yeah, but I don't know where she'd _be_."

     "Alright.  Thanks anyway."

     He nodded and left.

     Mariah turned and went to look for Selphie.  Quistis had told her she was her age, 16, and was very sweet and kind.  She figured Selphie would be the perfect person to show her around.  First, she decided to search around outside.

     When she reached the Front Gate, she saw a blonde boy and a boy in a cowboy hat.  They stuck out compared to everyone else, so they caught her attention. 

     The blonde was very energetic - talking to the other boy while smiling, throwing punches in the air, and bouncing from one foot to the other.

     The other was very tall and had a custom shotgun in his left hand.  Mariah was surprised weapons like that were allowed to be carried around so freely.  He suddenly looked over at her and smiled and gave a small wave.  She did the same.

     The blonde looked over and smiled too.  They both made their way over to her.

     "Hi," the blonde said, "I'm Zell Dincht.  You're the new girl right?  Mariah, um......"

     "Psystorm.  Mariah Psystorm," she said as she shook his hand.

     "And this hunk of man right in front of you is Irvine Kinneas," the other said.

     Zell rolled his eyes.  "You'll have to excuse him; he's a bit of a flirt."

     "I can see that," she replied.  She turned back to Irvine.  "So I'm not one in a million?"

     Irvine glared over at Zell.  "Thanks alot," he whispered harshly.

     Mariah had to giggle alittle.  These two were quite the characters.  "Well, it's nice to meet both of you."

     "You too," Zell said.

     "Yeah, not too many people are transferred to Balamb Garden, 'cept for Selphie," Irvine said.

     "Speaking of Selphie, do either of you know where she is?"

     "Yeah, we saw her a couple minutes ago and she said she was gonna go out to the basketball court," Zell said.

     Mariah smiled.  She knew exactly where the basketball court was - she had seen it on her way in.  "Okay, thanks."  She began making her way to the basketball court.

     "Man, Irvine, you don't give it a rest, do ya?" Zell asked smiling.

     "Well, I can't help it.  I see a pretty face and.....well, why _not _try to ask her out?"

     "But you _didn't _ask her out.  You just got all weird.  It scares me, man."

     "Whatever, Zell.  Maybe _you _should try being alittle more _forward_."

     "Me?  No way," Zell replied, "Besides, I've already started flirting with the library girl."

     "Yeah right, if you can call ducking under the table every time she walks by flirting."

     They both laughed.

*     *     *

     As Mariah walked down the cement path, she looked around at the people playing basketball.  She saw alot of younger kids, junior classmen she supposed, but none her age.

     Then she saw a girl older than the rest.  She had an orange dress that went to her knees on, and had shoulder-length brown hair that was flipped up on the ends.  She tossed the ball up and it went into the basket.  

    "Yeah!  Alright!  Whoo-hoo!!"  She began hopping around, but stopped when she saw Mariah had been watching her.  "Oh, I didn't see you there," she said, laughing nervously, "Hey!  You're the new girl, aren't you?"

     Mariah nodded.  "Yeah.  I'm Mariah Psystorm.  And you're....Selphie, right?"

     The girl smiled.  "Yep, that's me!  How'd you know?"

     "Oh, uh, Quistis told me," she replied, "Umm, I was wondering....."

     "Yeah?"

     "Could you show me around?"

     Selphie jumped up.  "Sure!  I'd love to!"

     "Thanks.  This place is so...._big_."

     They began walking back inside.  "Tell me about it.  When I came here from Trabia Garden, I had to have Squall show me around.  I was late for class and _everything_!"

     "Wait, _Squall _showed you around?"

     Selphie giggled.  "Yeah, I practically _begged _him to do it."

     Mariah laughed too.

     "Well, where do we start?"

*     *     *

     After showing her all the parts of Garden she needed to know about, Selphie took Mariah back to her dorm, and then headed for her own.

     Mariah sat down on the bed and rested her chin on her hands, which rested on her knees.  She was bored.  _I wonder what Squall's doing,_ she thought to herself, _Whoa!  Did I just think that?_

She swung her legs onto the bed and let the warm sunlight fall onto her face.  Before she knew it, she'd fallen asleep.

*     *     *

     "Mariah," a soft voice called.  The voice broke into Mariah's deep sleep.  "Wake up Mariah."  Then she felt a hand on her shoulder, shaking her gently.  "C'mon Mariah, I have great news.  It's about you becoming a SeeD...."

     Mariah's eyes shot open, revealing Rinoa standing over her.  She sat up.  "What about me becoming a SeeD?!" she asked excitedly.

     Rinoa smiled at her friend's sudden burst of energy.  "Well, you're not one _yet_, but it's time for the battle that'll decide whether you do or not," Rinoa said smiling.

     "_Really_?!  Oh, this is _so _great!" Mariah shouted throwing her arms around Rinoa.  "Do you know who I have to fight?" she asked when they were done hugging.

     "No, Quistis just told me to come get you.  She wants to see you in the training field right away."

     "Well what are we waiting for?  Let's go!"

*     *     *

     "Hi Rinoa!  Hi Mariah!" Selphie shouted as the two girls rushed over.  

     "Hey Selphie," they both said together.  Then Mariah turned to Quistis.  "Rinoa told me that this is gonna decide if I become a SeeD or not."

     "That's right," Quistis answered, "I'll grade you on this battle and give the report to Headmaster Cid.  He'll look it over and decide if you're a SeeD.  Understand?"

     Mariah nodded.  "Yeah.  So....who am I fighting?"

     Quistis chuckled.  "Well, with your skills, I didn't want to make this too easy, so your opponent will be......Seifer Almasy."

     "Seifer?!?!" everyone exclaimed.

     "But he's...," Zell began to speak, but Quistis cut him off.

     "Headmaster Cid felt he had learned his lesson since the sorceress battles and he expects us all to treat him fairly.  What's past is past."

     "But Quistis, you saw what he did to _Squall _when they were only supposed to be _practicing_!" Rinoa shouted.

     Mariah looked over at Squall.  He looked miserable.  That's when she looked at his scar - really _looked _at it.  It went from above his right eye, across the bridge of his nose and ended just under his left eye.  That was probably the work of this Seifer guy.

     "It's okay guys.  Whoever this Seifer is, I'm gonna mutilate him," Mariah said.

     Squall had a stunned look on his face, but then, to Mariah's surprise, he smiled at her.  It was a small smile, but a smile nonetheless.

     "Go get him, girl!" Rinoa shouted.

     "Alright then, are you ready?" Quistis asked.

     Mariah nodded.

     Suddenly, a boy in a gray trenchcoat with blonde hair who was carrying a Gunblade came walking over to them.  

     "Mariah, this is Seifer.  Seifer, Mariah," Quistis said.

     Seifer smirked.  "You're the Gunblade girl I'm supposed to fight?" he asked sarcastically.

     Mariah shrugged her shoulders and smirked.

     "But just because you're a girl isn't _any _reason for me to go easy on ya."

     "Bring it on.  Besides, you won't need to anyway," Mariah replied as rudely as she could.

     Rinoa, Selphie, Quistis, Zell, and Irvine smiled.  They all figured it was about time someone put Seifer in his place.  He was _way _too cocky.  Squall just stood off to the side with his arms crossed.  He still didn't believe Mariah could beat Seifer.  He was a very dirty fighter and would do almost anything to win.

     The two of them made their way out onto the field.

     "Alright, go!" Quistis shouted.

     Seifer immediatly ripped his Gunblade through the air in Mariah's direction.  She blocked every one of the blows, which were amazingly close to her face.

     He was quickly getting bored simply striking at her face, so he made a quick slash at her leg; she blocked that too.  They went back and forth striking at each other.  Seifer got the upperhand at one point and got Mariah to back up a few paces, but she quickly got back her stamina and he took a few steps back, evening things out.  The battle went on like that for a few minutes until Mariah did a sweep-kick and Seifer went down hard.  In order to win and for the match to be over, one of the fighters had to get their opponent on their back, then hold their wrists down above their head and hold their weapon in their direction. - and that's exactly what she did.

     Mariah smiled down at Seifer.  "See?  I told ya you wouldn't need to let me win."

     "The match is over!" Quistis cried.

     Mariah and Seifer stood up.  Everyone was cheering, but Squall just looked on.

     "The victory is in Mariah's favor," Quistis affirmed.

     "You must think you're somethin' special now, huh?" Seifer asked angrily.

     "Not really," Mariah said, "But I bet yadidn't I?"

     The two of them walked over to the others.  "Okay Mariah, all that's left to be done is to give my report to Headmaster Cid.  He'll look over it and decide.  You're free until he makes a decision then," Quistis said.

     Mariah smiled.

     "Seifer, I guess I should've warned you that Mariah was _very _strong," Quistis said in a joking manner.

     Seifer was still mad.  "Yeah, yeah......," he said as he turned and walked away.

     "I didn't _mean _to make him feel bad," Mariah said.

     "Oh, don't worry about it," Quistis said with a laugh in her voice and a smile on her face.

     Rinoa giggled alittle too.  "Yeah, he's a _very _difficult guy," she said.

     "Just like our Squall here, right buddy?" Zell said giving Squall a playful punch in the arm.

     "....Whatever," was his response.

     "Aww, I didn't mean it like _that_," Zell said.

     All of a sudden, Mariah yawned.  "You look beat," Irvine said, "You should go get some rest.  One of us will come get you when Headmaster Cid wants to see you."

     "I guess that would be okay," she said, and she left for her dorm.

*     *     *

     The door to Mariah's dorm slowly inched its way open.

     "Well, go on!" Rinoa whispered.  She shoved Squall into the room and quickly shut the door behind him.

     "Why do they _always _do this to me?" he asked himself.  He stood in the quiet, still room awkwardly and looked around.  The room wasn't much different from his own.  The only differences were a few picture frames on the desk, some stuffed animals lining the shelf on the wall, and a few other small decorations in the room.  

     He quietly made his way to the desk and picked up one of the pictures.  It was of four people: a man with light brown hair, a woman with long blonde hair, and two little girls, one older than the other.  Squall immediatly recognized the younger girl as Mariah.

     Then Squall set the picture back down on the desk and turned around, his eyes resting on Mariah, sleeping peacefully, and suddenly remembered why he had come, or more like why he had been _forced _to come.

     "Mariah?"  She stirred in her sleep, but didn't wake up.  He raised his voice alittle, "Mariah..." Her blue eyes opened slowly and she saw Squall standing in the middle of the room.

     "Squall?" she asked as her eyes adjusted to the light, "What are _you _doing here?"  She was alittle surprised to be woken up by _him_ of all people.

     "Headmaster Cid wants to see you now," he said in a quiet voice.  Not necessarily a _shy _voice, just a quiet one.

     She smiled at him, suddenly realizing that someone must have forced _him _to be the one to come wake her up.  "Okay," she said sweetly, "Thanks."

     Squall nodded briskly and turned to leave.  "Where _is _Headmaster Cid?" came Mariah's voice from behind him.  Squall turned around. 

     "I'll.....I'll take you to him," he said.

     "You will?"

     "Yeah, come on."  _Great, now maybe this will get Rinoa and the others off my back,_ he thought.

     She smiled at him.  "Ohh, I get it.  You're not doing this because you _want _to, you're doing this 'cause you'd feel bad if you didn't."

     That made Squall feel alittle guilty about acting nice just to get people to leave him alone.  "No, I just......."

     "Aw, never mind," she said smiling, "Let's go."

     "I can't believe I'm _this _close to being one of the highest ranked soldiers in the world," Mariah said as they walked together down the hall.

     "You're sure looking forward to this," Squall said, "I mean, it's an honor but.....it's also alot of hard work."

     Mariah shrugged.  "I don't care.  I came here to be a SeeD, and if that means practicing 24/7, I'm willing to do it."

     He didn't say anything.

     "Hey Mariah!  Squall!  Over here!" a voice called.  They turned and saw Zell running towards them.

     "Hey Zell," Mariah greeted him, smiling.

     "You goin' to see the Headmaster now?" he asked.

     "Uh-huh.  You're comin', right?" 

     Zell grinned at her.  "Wouldn't miss it for the world!"

     The three of them started walking again.  With Zell around, Squall seemed to clam up, even more than before.

     "So, do you think you made it?" Zell asked.

     "I sure hope so," she replied with a sigh.

     When they got down to the main hall, Rinoa, Selphie, Quistis, Irvine, and Headmaster Cid were waiting.

     "Ohh, this is _so _exciting!" Selphie cried as she hopped up and down and clapped her hands together.

     Headmaster Cid cleared his throat.  "I've looked over the report made by Instructor Trepe, and I must say I was very impressed as well as surprised.  A young lady such as yourself would never have as much strength as you do unless they have trained very hard and very diligently."

     "My instructor back at Silton trained me _very _hard, sir," Mariah announced proudly.

     "So I've heard.  Your skills would be extremely useful here.  Therefore, I have no choice but to award you with the rank of SeeD here at Balamb Garden," Headmaster Cid said with a big smile on his face.

     Everyone cheered, hugged, and patted her on the back.  Squall, as usual, just stood off to the side.

     After hugging everyone else, Mariah went over to him.  "_You _might not wanna hug _me_, but I'm so happy right now I don't really care," she said and she threw her arms around him.  Everyone looked at each other and smirked.

     "I guess I should congratulate you then," Squall said with a small smile.

     She smiled back.  "Thank you, Squall."

     "I have an idea," Headmaster Cid said, "We'll hold a banquet tonight in our new recruit's honor!"

     "Oh, Headmaster Cid, you don't have to do that, I...."

     "Nonsense young lady, being a SeeD here is no small accomplishment," Headmaster Cid told her.

     "Yeah, and plus, it'll be fun!" Rinoa shouted.

     "What do you say?" Irvine asked putting his arm around her shoulder, "You can even dance with _me_."

     "Well, it does sweeten the pot," she said sarcastically, "But...."

    "Oh come on!" Selphie pleaded.

     Mariah smirked.  "Okay....let's do it!"

     "Great!  We'll announce it over the P.A. later with the time," Quistis said.

     "C'mon Mariah.  Let's go get your uniform," Rinoa said.

     "Then we'll hit the PAH-TAY!" Selphie cried.

*     *     *

      On their way down to the banquet, Mariah was telling Selphie and Rinoa about her dream of becoming a singer, if the whole soldier thing fell through.

     "A singer huh?  Sounds good to me," Rinoa said.

     "Did you ever sing in front of people before?" Selphie inquired.

     "Sure did.  Most people are scared to sing in front of an audience, but I never was."

     "So then I guess you're pretty good, huh?" Rinoa asked slyly.

     "I guess so.  Why?"

     "Don't you think that if you sang tonight at the banquet, it would make....._quite _an impression?" Rinoa asked.

     "Oh, hey!  That's a _great _idea!" Selphie chirped.

     "Aw, I don't know you guys.  I don't have anything ready and I..."

     "Who needs to be ready for something like this?" Rinoa insisted, "You pick a song, get up on stage, and sing!"

     Mariah thought a bit.  "You think Headmaster Cid would let me?"

     "Of course!  He _loves_ you!"  Selphie stood beside Rinoa, nodding away.

     "Alright, I'll do it!"

*     *     *

     After a few speeches from Headmaster Cid, the band began to play and couples were dancing beautifully like angels on the ceramic floor.

     "Wow, do you guys have stuff like this _all _the time?  It's great!" Mariah cried.  At Silton Garden everything was so proper and you had to act like military soldiers all the time.  To _those_ instructors, there was no room or time for fun.

     "Man, it doesn't take much to make _you _happy, does it?" Zell said smiling.

     Mariah nudged him playfully with her elbow.

     "Hey Mariah, when are you gonna sing?" Selphie asked anxiously.

     "I almost forgot about that."  She took a cd case out of the pocket on her SeeD uniform skirt and handed it to Selphie.  "Tell whoever's backstage to play this cd.  I'll be waiting."

     "Whoa, wait, you're gonna sing?" Irvine asked.

     She nodded.  "Yeah.  And I don't expect any booing from back here, okay?"  They all laughed.  "I'm kidding.  Just don't be too cruel."  She and Selphie walked off.

     Mariah walked up onto the stage and kept a close eye on Selphie and the stagehand backstage.  She didn't want them to mess up the song or anything.

     Music started to play.  "Is this it?" Selphie whispered.  Mariah nodded and was given a thumbs-up.

_When I'm lost, in the rain,_

_In your eyes I know I'll find the light to light my way._

_When I'm scared, losing ground,_

_When my world is going crazy, you can turn it all around._

_And when I'm down you're there, pushing me to the top._

_You're always there giving me all you've got._

     Selphie, Rinoa, Quistis, Irvine, Zell, and Squall watched and listened in awe.  She was an excellent and beautiful singer.

_For a shield from the storm,_

_For a friend, for a love to keep me safe and warm,_

_I turn to you._

_For the strength to be strong,_

_For the will to carry on,_

_For everything you do, _

_For everything that's true,_

_I turn to you._

_When I lose the will to win,_

_I just reach for you and I can reach the sky again._

_I can do anything._

_'Cause your love is so amazing,_

_'Cause your love inspires me._

_And when I need a friend,_

_You're always on my side._

_Giving me faith,_

_Taking me through the night._

     Mariah sang the rest of the song beautifully.  She didn't expect people to clap for her as loud and long as they did, and she didn't expect any of the guys to whistle, either.  She made her way back to Rinoa and the others.

     "Where did you learn to sing like that?" Quistis asked, sounding very impressed.

     "I don't know....I guess I just.....can."  She really didn't like to brag about her singing _or _fighting skills.

     "Squall?  Don't _you _have anything to say to Mariah?" Rinoa asked.

     He glared over at the raven-haired girl.  He felt as though he were badgered into saying something nice, so he felt he had to.  "You're a.....a really good singer," he said quickly.

     She smiled.  "Thanks Squall," she said, "for saying something nice even though you didn't want to."

     "It's not that I didn't _want _to, it's just...."

     "I understand," she said smiling.  "I'm gonna go thank Headmaster Cid for letting me do that.  I'll be right back."

     When she was on her way back, she ran into Seifer.  "Hey Seifer."

     He smiled.  "Congratulations Mariah," he said.

     She smiled back.  "Oh, thanks.  Umm, would you mind answering a.....personal question?"

     He shrugged.  "Shoot."

     "How come you aren't wearing a SeeD uniform?"

     "Don't have one."

     "You're not a SeeD?"

     "Nah, these people wouldn't know a SeeD quality fighter if it bit them on the..."

     "Seifer, what are you going on about _now_?" Squall asked coming over.

     "Squall, what an....._unpleasant _suprise.  How's that scar of yours doing?"

     "Knock it off," Squall growled.

     "Oh, I forgot.  You're a big bad SeeD.........and I'm not," Seifer said and walked away laughing.

     Mariah turned to Squall.  "Man, he really gets to you, huh?" she asked.

     "Forget it.  Let's just go."

     "But what about everybody else?"

     "They said to tell you goodnight, and that they'll see you tomorrow."

     "So, they left?"

     "Yes."

     "Oh, okay.  Then let's go."

     "Squall, can I ask you something?" Mariah asked as she and Squall made their way to the dormitory.

     "Uh-huh."

     "How come Seifer's not a SeeD?"

     "It's a long story," he answered.

     "Well, I wanna know," Mariah said stopping.  Squall stopped too.  

     "It's a long, _long _story," he said, hoping Mariah would get the message.

     Mariah shrugged her shoulders and smiled.  "It's still early," she said.  She hoped she didn't sound pushy.  

     Squall sighed.  "Look, I need to change, so meet me at the Secret Area at midnight, okay?"  She nodded.  He turned and started walking.  Mariah ran up to walk beside him.

     "If it's a problem for you, you don't have to."

     It took Squall alittle while to answer.  "No, you're not bothering me, it's just..."

     "Just what?"

     He shook his head.  "Nevermind.  I'll see you later."

*     *     *

     An hour later, Mariah crept out of her dorm and down through the Training Center to the Secret Area where Squall was sitting.

     The Secret Area was basically a huge balcony overlooking the center of Garden, which was a brightly lit structure.  It was a very calm and peaceful place to be.  Beautiful too.

     Squall looked like he was in very deep thought.  He was sitting on a bench facing outwards with his elbows resting on his knees and his chin in his palms.  

     She walked up behind him.  "Hey Squall," she said softly.

     He turned around.  "Oh, hi....."  He sounded as if he had been hoping she would've just forgotten about coming, and when she showed up, he seemed alittle disappointed.

     She sat down next to him.  "Okay, I'm ready," she said.

     He looked at her funny.  "Ready for what?"

     "For you to tell me why Seifer's not a SeeD."

     "Oh, yeah.  Well, I guess it was about five months ago, when I took the field exam to become a SeeD.  My group consisted of Zell and Seifer.  Our mission was to go to Dollet and help fight off the Galbadian army.  Seifer was the squad leader, and he wasn't necessarily doing the things he should've been doing.  Anyway, we got a withdraw order and had to leave.  The real SeeDs took care of the rest.  

     "When we got back to Garden, we found out that Selphie, Zell, and I made it as a SeeD.  Seifer didn't, because of his actions during the exam."

     "Guess he's not such a nice guy after all, huh?" Mariah asked.

     Squall took a long time to answer.  "No, he's not."

     "But, why does everybody seem to hate him so much?  I mean, is it just because he misbehaved during the exam?"

     Squall figured she wouldn't quit until all her questions were answered, so he'd might as well answer them now.  "A sorceress named Ultimecia had been trying to achieve time compression for a very long time.  Time compression is when the past, present, and future get all mixed up in one period of time.  She couldn't do it by herself, because she had been confined in another dimension, so she took over Edea's body, and...."

     "Edea is Headmaster Cid's wife, right?"

     "Yeah, how did you know?"

     "He introduced me to her," Mariah said, "Go on."

     "Edea had been given sorceress powers when she was young, so that's why Ultimecia went after her -- she was a sorceress.  Ultimecia made Edea attack Galbadia, and we had to fight her.  It was hard for all of us, because everyone except Rinoa had been in an orphanage, and Edea was our matron."

     "But what about Seifer?" Mariah interjected.

     Squall sighed and continued.  "He sided with Edea when she was possessed by Ultimecia.  He tried to kill all of us and destroy Garden."

     Mariah looked shocked.  "He......tried to kill you?  And....and destroy Garden?  That's awful!"

     "When we fought Edea, her powers then went into Rinoa.  Luckily, she was able to fight off Ultimecia, but in the meantime, she fell unconscious for a while.  Seifer took Rinoa to a sorceress who had been locked up inside a chamber that she hadn't been able to escape from, until Ultimecia made Rinoa break the seal.  Her name was Adel.  She junctioned Rinoa to herself to make her stronger, but we ended up defeating her and rescuing Rinoa.  

     "Ultimecia was still able to begin time compression somehow through Adel before she was defeated, making it even harder to reach her realm.  But eventually, we destroyed her and everything is back to normal.  Seifer left Garden for a while, then came back about two months ago.  Headmaster Cid said as long as he didn't cause anymore trouble, he could stay."

     "You probably have a hard time trusting him, huh?" Mariah asked, "I mean, after all he did....."

     "I prefer _not _to." he said looking out into the distance.

     "Not to trust somebody?"

     He didn't answer.

     "But why?"

     "I have my reasons, just like everyone else," he said matter-of-factly.

     "Well, what are they?"  She knew she was probably pushing her luck, but she had always had a knack for helping people with their problems, and she liked doing it.

     Squall glared at her.  "What makes _you _care so much?" he demanded.

     She raised an eyebrow.  "You don't expect me to answer that, do you?"  She walked over to the edge on the balcony and gazed out into the sky.

     "What do you mean?" he asked with an edge to his voice.  He got up and stood beside her.

     "People don't always _have _to have a reason to care about someone, or _something_.  They just......do, I guess.  And they don't always have an angle, either.  Not everyone's a fake, ya know."  This time, _her_ voice took on an edge.

     "I didn't ask for a speech," he said cooly.

     She rolled her eyes.  "Look, if I had it my way, I wouldn't care about anyone at all, either," she said, "Not after _I_ found out how cruel people can be."

     He looked at her strangely.  "What are you talking about?"

     "It's a long story," she said sounding sad all of a sudden.

     Squall thought for a minute, then said, "It's like you said before -- it's still early."

     She smiled over at him.  She knew quarter to one in the morning was _hardly _early, but she thought it was sweet that he was trying to make her feel better anyway.

     "Well, my older sister, Amber, always wanted to become a sorceress, just like Adel and Ultimecia, so for a while, I was about five or so at the time, she was always in her room practicing new spells.  The worst part was, she used _me _as her guinea pig to test out how powerful the spells were.

     "The pain was almost unbearable, but for a while, I stood there and took it from her, 'cause she was my sister and everything, but then, when I was about seven, I guess, I realized that even though she was my sister, she was wrong for what she was doing to me.  That's when I ran away.  I couldn't tell our parents, because they always saw her as a little angel who could do no wrong.  They never would've believed me, because Amber would've found someway to turn the story around and she'd be out of trouble.

     "Anyway, I had been living in Aegis, and I ended up in Silton, where this wonderful couple named Evah and Logan, took me in, as if I were their own daughter.  I remember how filthy I was, and how good it felt when they gave me clean clothes to wear and a warm bed to sleep in.  When I got there, I knew that I never wanted to leave.

     "They raised me the way parents should and soon, Logan, I mean....my dad, registered me with Silton Garden, because he had seen a strong fighter inside of me.  At least......that's what he told me.  That was when I was fourteen.  Two years later, when I turned sixteen, Headmistress Jiselle told me that even though she wanted me to stay, if I wanted to be taught to the fullest, I would have to transfer somewhere else.  She recommended Balamb Garden, so my mom and dad -- that's what I call them, even though they're not my real parents, brought me here.  They told me it would be best if I stayed in a dorm, that it would be easier that way.  And now......here I am today.  And that's the story of my life.  Pretty depressing, huh?"

     Squall shook his head in disbelief.  He had had no idea that such a traumatizing past was being held inside of her.  There was much more to her than met the eye.  "Where's Amber now?"

     "I don't know what happened to her _or _my real parents," she said, "I don't even think they made an attempt to find me after I left."

     Squall didn't say anything.

     "Squall......thanks for listening to all this time.  It must've been pretty boring to hear me gripe like that."  She smiled shyly.

     "It wasn't boring......," he said.

     "You know, I normally don't like talking about my childhood, 'cause it......it hurts.  But for some reason, I don't know, I.......I trust you."

     He looked at her oddly.  "_Me_?"

     Mariah smiled.  "You don't know why either, huh?"

     Squall glared over at her, as though he'd been offended by her words.

     "Aw, Squall, knock it off," she said turning away from him.

     "What?"

     She turned back around to face him.  "Everytime I try to joke around with you, you always get so defensive."

     "I've always been like that......," he said quietly.

     "But the thing _I _wanna know is....._why_?" Mariah asked putting a hand on his shoulder.

     For a moment, she thought Squall was going to open up and tell her everything, but he just looked at her and said, "You wouldn't understand."

     "Try me."

     "I....I can't."

     "_Why_?" she asked with a pleading look.

     "Look Mariah, I already told you.  You wouldn't understand!"

     Her voice rose to challenge his.  "What wouldn't I understand?!"

     "Everytime I try to be nice to someone, _anyone_, they make a big deal out of it and I feel like an idiot, so I stop," he said after a while with a quieter voice.

     Mariah smiled.  "Now was _that _so difficult?"

     "What do you mean?"

     "You just told me how you felt," she said, "And it _didn't _kill you."

     Squall didn't say anything and just looked away.  "Maybe.....maybe we should leave now," he said sadly, "It's getting late."

     Mariah noticed the sadness in his voice.  "What's wrong?"

     "......Nothing."

     Mariah stood up.  "Alright then.  Let's go."

     As they walked back to the dormitory, Squall was unusually quiet, even for him.

     Mariah got the feeling he hadn't wanted to leave.  She began to beileve it had actually made him feel _better _to talk things out like they did.  Yet she didn't ask him about it.  What she had already gotten out of him was a miracle in itself.

 *     *     *

     Squall layed in his bed, unable to sleep.

     _I feel so weird_, he thought to himself.  He turned over to face the wall that connected to Zell's dorm, the wall closest to him.

     _It's not a bad feeling.  It's a calm, tranquil feeling._

He turned the other way to face the wall that connected with Mariah's dorm.

     _But I only feel this way when I'm with............her._

*     *     *

     Mariah woke up to the sound of a voice over the intercom.  It was Xu, Headmaster Cid's assistant.  "Squall Leonhart, Mariah Psystorm, Irvine Kinneas, Zell Dincht, Rinoa Heartilly, Selphie Tilmitt, and Quistis Trepe, please report to Headmaster Cid's office," she announced.


	2. Getting A Little Closer...

Disclaimer: Nope, FF8 isn't mine.  Wish it was though…. sniff

A/N: Okay, even though I don't have any reviews yet cuz my stories only been up for a few hours, hehe… I decided to post the second chapter.  It's not that hard cuz the story's already done!  So is its sequel, and I'm working on the third one now.  Then I'll start a fourth and so on and so on.  If you like it so far, please keep checking for new chapters as it's really gonna be a drama in the sequels.  Well, enough of my rambling… on with the show!

            _I wonder why Headmaster Cid wants to see all of us together? _Mariah thought as she changed into her SeeD uniform.  Quickly, she made her way to Headmaster Cid's office where everyone was entering as well.  

            "What do you think's goin' on?" Selphie whispered to her.  Mariah just shrugged her shoulders in reply.

            When they entered the office, Headmaster Cid was sitting at his desk, a sort of troubled expression on his face.  The SeeD stood saluting until Headmaster Cid said, "At ease."  He stood from his seat and made his way around to the front of his desk, leaning upon it.  "I seem to have some alarming news."

            "What, sir?" Quistis asked.

            "Well, I just received a call from the Headmistress at Sunray City, Stacey Carona.  She has a special mission requiring Garden's SeeDs."

            "What kind of mission, sir?" Irvine asked.

            "It has something to do with a sorceress who's making threats at the city to destroy it and kill all the residents there."

            "A sorceress?!" they all exclaimed.  

            "Which sorceress, sir?" Quistis asked, "Rinoa's powers were suppressed, and Adel and Ultimecia were defeated."

            "No, no.  It's a sorceress no one has ever heard of.  Her name is Amber."

            "Amber?!" Mariah and Squall repeated together.  They glanced over at each other.

            "Yes, and it's funny, because her last name sounded a great deal like yours, Mariah," Headmaster Cid said.

            "She did it," Mariah said distantly.

            "What are you talkin' about?" Zell asked.

            "She _really _did it," Mariah repeated, ignoring him.

            "Who did what?" Rinoa asked.

            "Amber…. My sister," Mariah said quietly.

            "Your _sister_?!" everyone except Squall exclaimed.

            Mariah nodded, a vacant look on her face.

            "How did this happen?" Headmaster Cid asked kindly, "How did she become a sorceress?"

            Mariah proceeded to tell everyone the story she had Squall just the night before.

            "That's awful," Rinoa said.

            "I know, but… she _knows _what she's doing….. and doesn't even care," Mariah replied sadly.

            "Even though she's your sister?" Irvine asked.

            "Yeah…," Mariah replied.

            "But…."  Everyone looked over at Squall.  "You're a SeeD.  And a SeeD's job is to destroy sorceresses.  You can't forget about that," he said.

            "Squall!" Selphie scolded.

            "No, it's alright Selphie.  Squall's right.  Sister or not, she's my enemy now."  Mariah felt the slight stinging of tears behind her ocean blue eyes.

            "I'm terribly sorry we must do this, Mariah.  Try as I might, I wouldn't be able to dismiss the mission," Headmaster Cid said.

            "I know.  But if _anyone's _doing _anything _to Amber, it's gonna be _me_."

            "You sure you wanna do this?" Zell asked.

            "I'm postive," Mariah said sternly.  Her eyes were set in an ice cold stare.  She no longer held love for her sibling in those eyes, but now, she held her in contempt.

            "Mariah, I think you should take some time to relax.  This must be a great shock to you.  We'll discuss this later.  Dismissed."

            "C'mon Mariah, we'll take you back to your dorm," Quistis said putting an arm around Mariah's shoulder.  Selphie and Rinoa went along too.  When the girls left, Zell turned to Squall.

            "What's _wrong _with you, man?!" he shouted.  "You _knew _Mariah was upset about her sister!  Why'd you say all that stuff?!"

            "It's true," Squall said defensively.

            "_What_?!  You go makin' her feel worse than she already did, and all you have to say about it is that it's true?!"

            "Look Zell, everyone has to take care of themselves.  Including her," Squall said angrily.

            "Hey man," Irvine cut in, "Zell's just lookin' out for Mariah.  We know everyone has to fend for themselves, but she really _needs_ us right now, so just… try to be a little more sensitive, okay?"

            Zell nodded.  "That's all I wanted to say.  Sorry for yellin' like that," Zell said more calmly, "See ya around Squall."  He and Irvine turned and walked away.

            _I didn't say it to be cruel, _Squall thought.  _But maybe I should… apologize._

He began walking to the dormitory, where he found Rinoa standing outside Mariah's dorm, a sad look on her pretty face.  "She doesn't wanna show how she really feels, kinda like you Squall," she said smiling slightly.  "Anyway, I think you should go talk to her.  She's really miserable."  She left after Squall had knocked on Mariah's door.

            "Who is it?" he heard her say.

            "It's me… Squall."

            "Hold on," Mariah called.  A few seconds later, the door opened.  "Hi!" Mariah said in a false cheery voice.

            Squall walked in and they both sat down, he on the desk chair, and her on the edge of her bed.

            "What's up?" she asked.

            "Rinoa told me you felt really bad about all this," Squall said quietly.  He wasn't very used to talking about other people's problems.

            "A little," she admitted.

            "And… I wanted to say I'm sorry for what I said before."

            "It's okay.  Don't worry about it."

            "Well…."  Squall almost began to say more, but he held his tongue.

            "Go on," Mariah said gently.

            "You really want to hear what I have to say?" he asked sounding surprised.  

            "Why not?  It's… kind of important to me what _you _think," she said with a tiny smile.

            Squall blinked.  "Really?"

            "Sure."

            "Can I… Can I ask you something?"

            She nodded.  " 'Course you can."

            "What's so odd about me being nice… or caring about someone?" Squall asked.

            "It's just that, well… you seem to put a lot of distance between yourself and everybody else, and, to me, it's like you'd rather have it that way."

            "But…"

            Mariah smiled.  "But… you don't wanna get close to anyone so you won't have to be hurt when they're gone… isn't that right?"

            Squall looked over at her, then nodded.

            She put her hand on his gently.  "Squall, you have _got _to stop wasting your time thinking about things that might never even happen, or that you can't help.  You got a lot going for you right now, if you'd just give it a chance."

            Squall stood up and headed for the door.  Before her walked out, Mariah said, "Squall please.  Just _think _about it."

            He looked back at her and shook his head.  "Whatever…"  And he left.

Ooooh!  How cute!  Too bad Squall's a big meanie, though!  O well, we'll see what happens when I upload the next chapter.  (Actually, I already know what happens!  HAHA!)****


	3. Squall's Gift

Disclaimer: FF8 isn't mine and neither are its characters.  I only own Mariah Psystorm and a few miscellaneous people and places.

A/N: Well, even though I'd like more reviews for this story (as it took me over a year to complete) I think two people is better than none so I hope I can get more people to review this because I really, really enjoyed writing it.  Thanks! ^__^

            "You _sure _you're okay?" Selphie asked as she and Mariah stood in the garden just near the Quad.

            Mariah pushed some hair that was falling into her eyes away and nodded.  "Yeah, I'm better now."

            "That's good.  Where's Squall?  Wasn't he with you before?" Selphie asked looking around.

            "Yeah, but then Headmaster Cid wanted to see him."  Mariah sat down on the bench heavily.  "No doubt they're talking about Amber," Mariah said with a hint of anger.  "I wish I could convince them I really _am _okay with this.  I mean, no, I _don't _like the fact that my own sister's an evil sorceress, but if I fight her, it'll be like… I dunno.  Getting her back for my lost childhood or something."

            Selphie sat down too.  "Everybody's just worried about you.  I'm sure they don't think you're a wuss or anything," Selphie said with a giggle.  Mariah smiled weakly at her friend's attempt to cheer her up.

            All of a sudden, Xu came down the small flight of stairs.  "Mariah, Headmaster Cid wants to see you right away," she said.

            Mariah stood and gave Selphie a look as if to say 'I told you so' and left, following Xu to where Headmaster Cid and Squall were waiting for her.

            Mariah stood SeeD style and saluted.  "At ease," Headmaster Cid said sadly.  Mariah looked over at Squall, sending a quizzical vibe between them.  It hurt Squall so much to look into her eyes that he had to turn away.  Mariah kept her eyes locked on him though, even while Headmaster Cid was talking. 

            "I don't like to see siblings against each other, Mariah.  Please understand that."

            Mariah looked over at him.  "Oh, yes sir.  I understand completely."

            Squall shut his eyes.  He knew what Headmaster Cid was going to say, but he didn't want to witness her hearing it.  She sounded so pitiful.

            "I can't transfer this mission to another Garden.  I tried, but…"

            "No sir.  I don't _want--_"

            Cid held up his hand to quiet her.  "Please Miss Psystorm.  I thought we had an understanding."

            "Headmaster Cid, I _want _to fight Amber."

            "What?"

            "I _have _to my revenge, sir.  And I _know _this isn't about that at all; it's about saving tons of people's lives, but, I don't know…  _Not _fighting her would seem stupid."

            Squall stepped toward Mariah slowly.  "Mariah, this mission isn't only to _fight _Amber.  It's also a mission to _assassinate _her."

            Mariah's eyes pierced right through his.  "Don't you think I _know _that?!" she cried.  "I mean, why does everyone think I'm completely oblivious to this entire mission?!"

            "Mariah, I…"

            "Squall, just…"  She shook her head.  "Just leave me alone.  _Please_."  Then she left.

~*~*~*~

            "Hey Mariah.  How did it go?" Selphie asked bounding up to her.

            Mariah shook her head sadly.  "I told them how I really felt.  When they got surprised, it made me mad," she said, "I snapped at Squall, then left."

            "A girl's work is never done," Selphie said grinning, her big bright eyes glittering.

            Mariah let out a refreshing laugh as the two began walking again.

~*~*~*~

            Zell and Irvine walked down the corridor, relaying inside jokes between them, laughing the entire way.  "Hey Irvine, did ya hear the one about--"  Zell stopped and looked around.

            Irvine looked at him oddly.  "What?"

            "Did you just hear… a dog bark?"

            Irvine laughed, punching his blonde friend playfully in the arm.  "Zell, you know dogs aren't allowed in Garden.  Even Angelo has to stay outside."  Not too far away, the sound of a dog barking echoed through the hall.  Zell and Irvine exchanged glances and raced off in the direction of the commotion.  They stopped in front of the door to the Secret Area where the barking seemed to be coming from.  They opened the door and saw Squall stooped down on one knee, facing in the other direction.

            "Squall?" Zell called.

            Quickly, Squall turned his body.  "Shut the door!" he whispered loudly.  Zell quickly slammed the door behind him.  Squall stood up, revealing a gray and white Siberian Husky puppy whose leash was tied to the leg of the bench.

            "What are _you _doing with a _dog_?" Irvine asked.

            Squall seemed extremely uncomfortable.  "She's not mine.  I, uh… I got her for Mariah," Squall said quietly, looking down at the dog.  He was afraid the'd get the wrong idea about his giving Mariah a gift.

            "Really?" Zell asked.

            "How come?"  Irvine added to Zell's question.  

            "To cheer her up.  Not that _I've _been helping that much, but…  Wait a minute!  Why am I telling _you _all this?!"

            "Look, what you're doing is really great Squall, but… aren't you forgetting something?" Zell asked.

            "What?"

            "Dogs aren't allowed in Garden," he replied.

            "I worked it out with the headmaster.  He said it would be okay."

            "How come you're keeping the dog _here_?" Irvine asked.

            "I want it to be a surprise.  I'm gonna ask her to come here tonight."  Zell and Irvine grinned.  "Look… this isn't a… _date_.  I'm doing this because… I feel bad.  I _do _have a conscience you know."

            "Yeah, sure, uh-huh," Zell replied.

            "_We believe you_," Irvine added.

            "Catch ya later, Squall," Zell said.

            "Yeah, see ya," Irvine said.  And they left.

            As soon as they did, Rinoa, Selphie and Quistis came in.  

            "What are_ you _doing here?!  Wh-where's Mariah?" he asked franticly, knowing Mariah was almost always with them.

            "Don't worry, she's n—hey!  Is that the dog you're giving to her?!" Selphie cried.

            "How'd you know?"

            "I told her," Rinoa said, "Is that okay?"

            "…Yeah, I guess."

            "Awww!  Lookit her!  She's _so _cute!" Selphie squealed as she pet the dog.

            Quistis put her hand on Squall's shoulder.  "Squall, I think that this is really sweet."

            "Yeah, I do too," Rinoa agreed.

            "So, what's her name?" asked Selphie standing up.

            "She doesn't have one.  Mariah can pick it out," Squall said, "Where _is _she anyway?"

            "Her dorm," Selphie replied.

            "When are you gonna give her to her?" Rinoa asked.

            "Tonight."

            "Awww!  How _romantic_!" Selphie squealed.

            "I'm only doing this because I feel bad about some of the things I did and said."

            Rinoa got into face and smiled.  "Why don't you just take her the dog _now _then?"

            Squall sighed.  "Because that's not the way I wanna do this, _okay_?"

            "All right, all right," Rinoa said waving her hand in the air.

            "Would you do me a favor?" Squall asked.  Selphie, Rinoa and Quistis looked at each other, then back at Squall.  "Sure."

            "Don't let Mariah come _anywhere near _this place, okay?"  They nodded.

            "We won't."

Did you like it?  Then REVIEW IT!!  I need to know what everybody else thinks of this.  Thanks a lot!!


	4. Love Grows

Disclaimer: FFVIII and all its characters aren't mine.  Mariah Psytorm and a few other people and places are mine though.

A/N: Well, here's chapter 4 for those of you who are waiting for it.  Enjoy!! ^_^

            At 8:00 pm, when it was almost completely dark out, Squall went looking for Mariah to take her to the Secret Area.  The only problem was… where was she?

            He started searching in the library.  Instead, he found Ellone and Quistis.  "Squall!" Ellone called, "What's up?"

            "Have you two seen Mariah lately?" he asked.

            "Oh,… so it's _that _time?" Quistis asked smiling a bit.

            Squall rolled his eyes.

            Ellone had no idea what Quistis was talking about.  "I thought I saw her with Zell, but I'm not sure where they were going," she said.

            "All right.  Thanks," Squall said as he turned around and left.  Next he headed for the Quad, where he thought Mariah and Zell might be.  This time, he found Rinoa, Selphie and Irvine.  "Hey, do any of you know where Mariah is?" he asked.

            "Yeah.  She --  No way Irvine!  _Neon green_?!  I think blue would be much better," Rinoa said.

            "Blue??  No!  Blue's too… well, blue's too blue.  Neon green would brighten it up," Irvine said.

            "Rinoa!" Squall shouted, "You _were _telling me where Mariah is!"

            Selphie giggled.  "Squall, I think Rinoa's a little busy picking out the color to paint the stage with.  Anyway, Zell told _us _to tell _you _that he'd keep Mariah away from the Secret Area by taking her to the cafeteria for lunch.  He said he'd be there all the while," Selphie said.

            Squall gave a nod.  "Thanks Selphie."  And he left.

~*~*~*~

            The cafeteria was packed with people, Zell and Mariah included.  They were at a table towards the back on the balcony and were both laughing hard.  Mariah was the first one to notice Squall.  "Hi Squall.  Where've you been?" she asked.

            Squall looked over at Zell as if to tell him to leave then.  "Well… I'll leave you two alone.  See ya."  And he left.

            Squall sat down in Zell's chair.  "Mariah… are you free the rest of the night?" she asked quickly.

            "Umm… yeah.  I think so," she replied, "Why?"

            "Well… I wanted you to come with me to the Secret Area.  I wanna show you something."  Squall almost seemed to have a smile on his face.

            Mariah smiled.  "Okay."

~*~*~*~

            The both of them stopped in front of the door to the Secret Area.  "Close your eyes," Squall said.

            Mariah looked at him oddly.  "What?" she asked.

            "Just do it," Squall said.  This time, she knew he was smiling.  She looked at him strangely, but did as she was told.

            Squall carefully led inside and sat her down on the bench.  He untied the dog's leash from the bench leg and set it beside Mariah.  "Okay.  You can open your eyes."

            Mariah's lashes parted and revealed to her a small Siberian Husky puppy sitting on the bench.  "Oh, it's so cute!" she cried as she instantly began petting its head.  "Is it yours?"

            Squall rubbed the back of his neck and sat down next to her.  "Well, uh, I actually got her for _you_."

            Mariah looked surprised.  "For _me_?  How come?"

            "Well, because of everything that's going on, I just figured that…"  He glanced over at her.  She was simply waiting for him to continue as she stroked the dog's soft fur as it sat in her lap.  

            "Well, whatever you figured, it was the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me."  She reached out and gave him a hug and a quick kiss on the lips.  And for once, he hugged her back.  "Now, a name…  How about…. Echo?" she asked as they released each other.

            "It… it fits her…," Squall said awkwardly.  He wasn't used to really _talking _about his feelings, even if it was just about something as simple as a name.

            "Yeah, it does, doesn't it?  So that's what I'll call her: Echo," Mariah said softly as she pet Echo's head.  

            "Mariah?"

            "Yeah?"  She looked back over at him.

            "Did you notice how everybody's always trying to…."

            "Get us together?" Mariah said.  "Yes… I've noticed."  She smiled sweetly at him and he smiled back.  He felt as though she were trying to tell him something with that smile, but he just didn't understand the message.  "What made you bring that up?" she asked innocently enough.

            "Nothing really."

            "Oh, c'mon Squall.  You wouldn't just bring something like _that _up without a reason."

            "Why do I have to have a reason?" he asked getting defensive.  "Can't I just ask you something without getting bombarded with questions?!"

            Mariah was taken aback by his sudden outburst and became very agitated by it.  Knowing how he was, she tried not to show it, but it was difficult for her to mask those kinds of feelings.

            Squall sat back on the bench and looked up at the sky.  "I just… I wanted everything to be perfect," he breathed.

            Mariah glanced over at him.  "Don't try so hard," she said without any emotion.

            "What do you mean 'don't try so hard'?" he asked still sounding angry.

            "You really don't have to do anything special for me.  I'm just… me.  No better than anyone else here."

            "Mariah, you're not just you.  You're really special.  You're the only person I've ever been able to really talk to."

            She turned to him slowly.  "I am?"

            He nodded.  "Yeah.  Do you think I'd be able to talk to anyone else like this?"

            Mariah thought for a moment.  "Squall…. Are you trying to tell me something?" she asked with a smile.

            For the first time in his life, Squall blushed.  "Well…. You-you mean a lot to me, and…."  He didn't want to continue, but yet, for some reason, he also did.

            Mariah smiled warmly.  "You do too," she said softly.

            "What did you just say?" Squall asked.

            "You mean a lot to me too Squall.  I just… I guess I never knew how you felt, so I never said anything."

            Squall was silent for a moment.  "The other night, when we were talking here, about Amber… I wanted to stay here all night and just… be with you," he said, "I've never felt that way about anyone in my entire life."

            She smiled.  "Well, then… I guess I could tell _you _something now, too.  When I'm with you, I don't know…. I feel like, like I could take on the world all by myself.  It's strange."

            He smiled at her words.

            "So, does this mean that we're…"  Squall didn't know how to finish his question.

            She smiled and nodded.

Awww!  How cute!  Well, there's chapter 4 for ya!  Pls review!!  Thanx for reading!! ^_^


	5. The Mission Briefing

Disclaimer: FFVIII and all its characters aren't mine.  Only Mariah and a few other things, but that's it.

A/N: Yay!  I got lotsa reviews!!  Here's the next chapter for those of you who are waiting!  Enjoy!!

"Mariah!"  Mariah stopped and turned around to see Rinoa sprinting after her.  "Mariah, where have you been?!  Everyone's been looking for you!  And Squall too!" she said breathlessly when she caught up to her.

Mariah smiled an embarrassed smile and looked down at her feet.

"What?" Rinoa asked raising an eyebrow and smiling lopsidedly.

Mariah looked up and grinned, expecting _her _to immediately understand what she was so happy about.

"_What_?!" Rinoa repeated urgently.

 Mariah sighed and opened her mouth to speak, but Rinoa cut her off.  "Wait a minute.  You and Squall were together just now, weren't you?"  Mariah nodded.  Rinoa began to circle around Mariah, eyeing her suspiciously like a detective would to a suspect.  "I've got it!" she cried, leaping in front of her.  "You and Squall are going out, aren't ya?"

Mariah shook her head and began walking again.  "What makes you think _that_?"

Rinoa ran up and walked beside her.  "Oh come on.  It's obvious Mariah.  You've got all the symptoms: dreamy eyes, uncontrollable smiling, a flushed face…  Just admit it!"  Rinoa grinned.

Mariah stopped and looked Rinoa in the eyes, trying to remain serious, but she just began to laugh and ruined it.  "Okay, okay," she said, "You're right."

"I knew it!" Rinoa shouted excitedly as they began walking again, "But why wouldn't you tell me before?"

"I wanted to see if you could guess," Mariah replied, "I kinda figured you would."

Rinoa smiled.  "You know me.  I'm a natural matchmaker, Mariah.  I _know _these things."

~*~*~*~

The next day, as Mariah was walking down the hall with Echo, she was beckoned to the cafeteria, mainly because her stomach was growling so loud the people down the hall could probably hear it.  "C'mon Echo, let's go get some breakfast," Mariah said.  Echo barked in reply.

When she arrived there, Selphie, Quistis, Rinoa, Zell, Irvine and Squall were there as well.  "Hey guys," she said sitting down in an empty chair beside Squall.

"So, you finally did it," Irvine said.

"Did what?" she asked looking at him funny.

"You and Squall finally hooked up, that's what."

Mariah looked over at Squall and smiled affectionately.  Sure enough, he did the same.  She shook her head. 

"Mariah Psystorm and Squall Leonhart, please report to Headmaster Cid's office immediately," came Xu's voice over the intercom.

            "Hey Mariah, you don't think this is about your sister, do you?" Zell asked.

She shrugged.  "I don't know.  Maybe.  C'mon Squall."  They both walked away with Echo close behind.

Selphie sighed dreamily when they were far enough away so that they wouldn't hear her.  "They are _so _cute together."

"Yeah, I think so too," Rinoa agreed smiling.

Quistis nodded.  "I have to admit, I'm not surprised this happened."

~*~*~*~

            "I wonder if this _is _about Amber," Mariah said quietly, running Zell's words over in her mind.

Squall looked at her pitifully.  He knew it bothered her a lot whenever someone mentioned Amber, but he couldn't change that for her, no matter how much he wanted to.  "Mariah?" he said stopping her.

"Yeah?"

"No matter where this battle takes us, I want you to know that I'm behind you 100%"

"Thanks Squall," she said smiling up at him.  She gave him a kiss before they started walking again.

When they got to Cid's office, they stood SeeD style and saluted.  "At ease," Headmaster Cid said sounding quite serious.  "Stacey has contacted me again and told me that Amber has already killed over fifty people in Silton with magic that not even the best of the best there could identify."

"She already…. killed people?" Mariah repeated in awe, "In _Silton_?!  But… but that's her home!"

"Yes," Cid said exchanging glances with Squall, "I didn't want to be the one to tell you, but…"

"Well, it doesn't matter anymore.  Honestly, it doesn't.  She chose to become my enemy, and I think that's the way she wants it.  So whatever I have to do… I'm willing to do."

Headmaster Cid smiled proudly at her.  "I'm glad you haven't let the fact that she's your sister interfere with the fact that she's also your enemy.  It takes a lot of bravery and courage to accept something like that."

Mariah smiled weakly.

"Well, in any case, Amber is showing off incredible strength and we don't necessarily know what we're in for on the day of the battle, so I'd like for you to do some training with Seifer Almasy."

"Seifer?!" she exclaimed, "But he…"

"Now Miss Psystorm, I know his past isn't the best, but he _is _a very skilled gunblade handler.  He can teach you how to fight…. Oh, how should I say this?"

"Dirty?" Squall interjected dryly.  

            "Well, uh, yes.  I suppose that would be correct.  I really think this would be best for you Mariah."

"Okay," she agreed unwillingly, "If you say so…"

"Good," he said smiling.  "I'd like you to meet Seifer and I on the training field at nine sharp tomorrow morning."

Mariah nodded.

"Dismissed!"


	6. A Heated Argument

Disclaimer: I don't own FF8 or any of its characters.  I only own Mariah and a few other ppl and places I made up.

A/N: PLEASE REVIEW THIS!!!!!  I haven't updated in a looong time so I think that's why this story doesn't have reviews.  No flames please.  If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all.

            Mariah was sitting in her dorm on her bed with Echo lying at her side when there was a knock at her door.  "Who is it?" she asked.

            "Quistis."

            "Oh, come on in."  Quistis opened the door and walked in.  She sat down next to Mariah, giving Echo a pat on the head before speaking.

            "Squall told us about your training with Seifer."

            "Yeah…"

            "He seems more upset about it than you do," Quistis commented with a laugh.

            "I don't like the idea of it at all either, but what can I do?  Headmaster Cid feels it's best for me to learn from him," Mariah replied, "What can _anyone _learn from _Seifer_?"  Quistis smiled.  "But anyway, I have to do it.  If I don't…"

            "Yes, I know, but as much as I hate to admit it, Seifer _really _is an _excellent _fighter.  It's just… his ego tends to get the better of him."  Mariah nodded.

            "I'll have to keep that in mind while I'm complaining about it."

Quistis laughed.  "Well, I won't keep you.  I'm sure you'd like to get some rest."  

"Okay.  I'll see ya tomorrow, then."  When Quistis left, Mariah turned out the light and went to sleep.

~*~*~*~

At 8:45 the next morning, Mariah was on her way to meet Headmaster Cid and Seifer at the training field.  She had her gunblade resting on her shoulder.  She was dressed in faded flared jeans, beat up old sneakers and a dark blue long-sleeved shirt.  She had woken up in a rather bad mood because of Seifer, so she really didn't feel like doing anything special.

She saw Squall and decided to stop and talk to him.  She still had plenty of time before her session, and it wasn't like she was in a hurry anyway.  "Hey," she said softly.

"Hey," he replied.  He didn't seem too happy about the fact that she was going to be spending her entire day with _Seifer_.

"This day's gonna be the death of me," she said, "I know it."

"Don't let Seifer catch you off guard," he said sternly.

"Is… is that what happened to you?" she asked.  She wasn't sure if bringing up Squall's scar and what caused it was the best idea, but she had wanted to know for the longest time.  

He hesitated a bit.  "Sort of…" When she didn't say anything else, he sighed and started talking again.  "We were training and he got rough and…"

"Oh, I understand.  You don't have to tell me anything else if you don't' want to."  She knew by the tone of his voice that he didn't want to talk about it.

"No…  It's… it's not that.  We were just training like always, until he started getting wild.  He shot a Fire spell at me and knocked me down.  He cut me, I grabbed my gunblade and did it back – the exact mirror image of mine."

"That must have been… awful," she said tracing the scar with her forefinger.

She looked into his steel blue eyes and noticed they weren't soft and relaxed like they had just been a few moments ago.  He was looking past her, his eyes set and cold.

She turned her head to look behind her and saw Seifer walking towards them, a mocking smirk on his face.  "Oh, how touching," he said, "Now lemme go home and throw up."  He added a roll of his emerald eyes.

Mariah turned completely around to face him, her turquoise eyes burning wildly through his.  "Aren't you supposed to be at the training field with the headmaster?"

He chuckled.  "Yeah, but so are you.  It doesn't look like that's your number one priority though, does it?"  Seifer was about to say more, but surprisingly enough, Squall cut him off.

"One more word outta your mouth and my gunblade's gonna be down your throat."

"Ooooh, Mr. Commander is making big bad threats.  I'm _so _scared."

"Seifer…" Mariah began.

"You shut up, Psystorm!" Seifer shouted.  Immediately, Squall's hand went to his gunblade.  He drew it, and Seifer did the same.

"Seifer!  Squall!  Both of you!  Knock it off!" Mariah yelled.

Squall hesitated, then put his weapon away.  Seifer followed suit a few moments later.

            "Well Mariah, _we _had better be going.  We don't want to be late."  Seifer put his arm around Mariah's shoulder.  She just looked pathetically up at Squall.

            "Squall, I…"

            "No.  Go with him.  He'll find out how strong you are… the hard way," Squall said firmly and walked away.

            Mariah slid out from under Seifer's arm and glared at him.  "Seifer, what kind of _idiot _are you?!" she exclaimed.

            "You mean there's a kind other than Squall?" he asked smiling innocently.

            She shook her head.  "You're unbelievable."  She spun on her heels and began heading towards the training field.  "Let's just get this over with."

            Seifer let a deep growl escape from his lips as he quickened his pace to catch up to her without running.

Well?  How is it so far?  Please review and lemme know what you think, but please, no flames!  Thanks a lot and stay tuned for the next chapter if I get some good reviews!  ^_^   


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